Dermatitis
by F8WUZL8
Summary: A snapshot of the arguments of handcuffed life, and how it is affected by a literally "silver" lining.  major exchanging of words, mild LxLight,


**This is my first Death Note fanfiction, and my first ever fanfic that has been BETA-ED (Cheers for learntosayhello at fictionpress dot com and perfectimagination dot co dot uk! Thank you so much!) **

**This is also the first fanfiction I've written that i wrote and then rewrote and then got it beta-ed and then edited and then rewrote some more. So hopefully it's good! Read and Review, please!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Death Note, I would have had Light win and keep L prisoner. (Nobody would die ^.^)**

**Here's the story, then!**

**Dermatitis**

The laptop hummed to life with a muffled purr, and a dim blue glow flickered on, outlining the detective and casting the room into a wavering of shadows. It woke up L's sleeping companion, five feet and a bed away from him.

It was 3 o'clock in the morning and there was a thunderstorm. It was the sleeping companion's tenth night chained to the insomniac detective. The darkness of the room had already surrendered to the reflected light of L's laptop, but it was still dark enough that Light couldn't tell one wall from the next. His friend's ghostly face was the only truly illuminated object in the room, and that face was as expressionless as the furniture.

Ten days had passed, and Light could feel the tremors in the wall that he had built to shield himself from the rest of the world. He was cracking; L's metaphorical "blows" had been hidden within offhand Kira-related comments, and absolutely "necessary" invasions of privacy. Of course, the moment Light discovered these were intended to "break him down", he knew the only proper counter-attack would be to bite back.

Hard.

It wasn't about Kira. For L it might be, but not to Light, because Light was not Kira.

It's just that Light still hated the freak.

Light's annoyance with his raven-haired companion was well founded. L was rude, condescendingly impassive, and staring at Light constantly. It was only natural for Light to want such a frustration out of his life, or at least ten feet away at all times. (The chain allowed six feet.)

But it was more than that: Light was very good at "reading people". Generally he could understand, sympathize with, and even sometimes manipulate others. And then there was L. The man hidden behind a shell, a mask that Light had never seen broken. A mask that Light was struggling to shatter.

That was where the lack of sleep came into play. On and on their debates went, little verbal spats that ended up costing Light his dignity - or worse, his sleep. Those lost hours added up tremendously, and now Light was on the verge of smacking the man senseless.

Like their argument today.

_Control yourself..._

Meanwhile, Light didn't want to reveal a thing to L, who was also a natural at "reading people". Light was hoping that he could reveal to the detective only his normal thoughts, broadcasting his annoyance like a neon sign, and hopefully L wouldn't notice anything off.

So when L flipped on the laptop, Light rolled over to stare at the other man, hoping that the sheer will in his gaze would tell L to shut the damn laptop and let me sleep, if only so that he wouldn't have to expend the effort to say those same exact words out loud.

L ignored him, the screen of the laptop causing a glint in his eyes.

"Ryuuzaki," Light called sleepily, retracting the covers and sitting up.

"Hmm, Kira-kun?" L responded, his eyes still glued to the screen.

"I'm not Kira. Turn off the laptop."

"If you _weren't_ Kira, wouldn't you want me to keep working, if only to prove you innocent?"

_Bastard._

"I want sleep. Turn off the laptop." Light grumbled.

"I apologize, Light-kun. I'll be extra quiet."

Light rolled over in his bed and threw the covers over his head, groaning because it was too late for this nonsense. L had awoken him, and he wasn't falling back to sleep any time soon.

But Light wasn't so exasperated with L as he appeared. He found the man quite fascinating, actually. Terribly annoying, frustrating, and worst of all emotionless, but L, the object of his violence, was so interesting!

"By the way, Light, your Kira percentage is up two percent by trying to prevent me from working."

Interest can be positive or negative.

Light suddenly became acutely aware of the piece of metal on his wrist, and the amount of damage he could do with it if he pulled it a certain direction. And when L was down...

"And I would advise against arguing over something so trivial in the future."

Light smothered those thoughts before returning to L with a lightly teasing tone of voice. "You're talkative."

"I don't know what you mean. I'm explaining what I always do when you say something that connects you to Kira."

"Exactly. You're communication abilities, albeit limited, are not inhibited by the sleeping schedules of _normal _human beings." Light couldn't help himself. He had to make a jab at the detectives... inhibitions.

It was as if L didn't notice. "Normal, like yourself?"

"I happen to take pride in my ability to sleep eight hours every night, thank you very much."

L's voice hinted at sarcasm. "I find it difficult to believe someone with as _amazing_ mental stature as Yagami Light would be inhibited by the time of day. But," A heavy sigh, "I have been proven wrong before."

A few moments passed in silence before L whispered, "I'm sorry, on further analysis I have to say I _haven't_ been proven wrong before. I suppose the only logical answer is that Light-kun must not be as intelligent as he likes to appear."

Light glared at L, but the older man wouldn't make eye contact, as he was too engrossed in his work. This cruelty was L's way of saying that he recognized Light's masking of his intentions, and that Light was walking on thin ice.

While Light seethed, L wrapped his end of the chain around his own back, around his other thumb, and then let it continue toward the brunette, resulting in Light's chained arm dangling precariously off of the bed.

"Ryuuzaki," Light voice was muffled by his pillow. "What are you doing?"

"For Light-kun, a larger Kira percentage means a shorter chain, so that when the time comes that I am absolutely certain of his identity as Kira, it will be much easier to apprehend him." If L wasn't such a devastating expanse of emotionless nothing, he might be smirking at Light.

"Uh-huh. And when did you come up with this?"

"I'm surprised Light-kun has never noticed."

_Yeah right, liar. You just want to see my reaction._ "Wouldn't you want to be as far away as possible at that point in time? You know, in case I try to kill you or something?" _That might be sooner than you think, L._

"Is Light-kun admitting to being Kira?"

Light grimaced. "I'm not Kira. This is theoretical."

L grunted in acknowledgement. "As usual, Light-kun is underestimating my physical strength."

Light chuckled lightheartedly. "Ryuuzaki-kun may be underestimating mine as well."

From under the covers and out of detective's sight, Light wrapped his end of the chain around his fist and gave as violent a tug as he could muster.

L's delicate balance was broken as he and the laptop toppled off the bed and onto the floor in a heap. The computer banged against the carpeted floor with a loud thump, and L, who refused to let go, landed in a twisted fashion nearby.

He sat up on his haunches and cradled his handcuffed wrist, hissing, "That constitutes as abuse, Kira-kun!"

Light wore a malicious grin.

"I'm sorry Ryuuzaki, that was stupid of me. My decision-making must have been _inhibited_ by the time of day."

L ignored that comment and sat back up on his bed, trying to get the laptop to turn on. "If this is broken Light, it is coming out of your unfortunately generous paycheck." L was blushing with either humiliation, or, even better, anger.

Light's ears perked up at the mention of money. "I'm getting paid?"

L froze before muttering a hopeful, "No?"

"Sweet."

Luckily, the laptop booted up before anyone could suspect the versatile device was broken, and L went back to the files.

_Careful, take a break._

About ten minutes passed in silence, and Light tossed and turned in an effort to become more comfortable as L scratched at the handcuff at random intervals.

Light silently wondered whether L was really as flustered as he appeared, or if that was just similar to Light's mask. Light also wondered if the silky camaraderie he was planning on showering the detective with would be enough to_ really_ fluster L.

It had only been ten days, but he already knew how to make L squirm. Light hadn't yet seen L squirm, but knowledge is progress. Right?

Light, appearing frustrated with his inability to fall asleep, slid off his bed and crossed the three foot gap to crawl up next to L on the other bed. He pretended not to notice L flinch.

"So, what are you doing?" Light inquired, letting it slip from the tone of his voice that he already knew. He wanted to see what L's answer would be.

L leaned away from Light with an air of nonchalance. "What does it look like I'm doing?" He mumbled.

_Don't smirk... don't move. Camaraderie._

Lights own question rounded back onto him. "It looks to me like you're working on the Kira case, but because that topic was so broad, I was curious to what aspect."

"I'm monitoring the major world leaders to see what their opinions are of Kira. If all of them support Kira, the task force arresting him could cause a war. I am looking for which of them we can sway back to our side."

Light looked at the list with silence, honestly searching for the answer to L's problem before noticing one name that stood out. "That one," he said, his arm brushing against L's as he pointed to the screen. L jerked away, but continued speaking at his usual monotonous rate.

"Light-kun must be joking. That man's son was killed by Kira - he would be too afraid of being killed himself to side with me publicly." L scratched at the handcuff.

"But privately he surely wants revenge," Light replied. His arm returned back to his own "side" of the laptop. L almost sighed with relief before Light continued, oblivious. Or at least, appearing oblivious. "If we can get him to promise his allegiance to us should we catch Kira in _private_, then technically he'd be on our side."

L almost rolled his eyes._ Our side? Light-kun is most definitely _not_ on my side._

L knew what was going on with Light, how the younger man was trying to get closer to him, to understand him more. Light was trying to infiltrate his trust, learn all he could about L, and then use that information to destroy the detective and ultimately win their little battle of wits. It wasn't as if Light was still Kira. It was just, Kira or not, their battle was continuing on a more personal level.

Like L had discovered, two geniuses cannot coexist in the same house without trying to kill each other. Statement of fact. It would simply be a show of intellectual dominance.

The problem was that L couldn't afford to fight. He was too busy with the Kira case, too busy monitoring Light, and too busy trying to defend himself _from_ Light. There was no way he could also create an offense of his own.

Or could he? He was L, after all. Bringing his thumb to his lips in contemplation, he didn't notice that his sleeve slid down his arm, revealing some of the skin near his wrist to be scarlet. Light, however, did notice this, and in bewilderment, tried to test that it wasn't just the light playing tricks. He tugged on L's side of the chain to see if he would react.

A couple of things happened then. Firstly, L's wrist began to bleed. Secondly, for the first time in all that Light had known him...

"Kira-kun, what the_ hell?_"

L cursed.

But Light wasn't paying attention. L's wrist wasn't just irritated, it was shredded. Light stared at it in fascination. His entire forearm was pink, and the two inches around where the metal touched his skin rubbed raw from days of scratching and scarring. The lines were a lattice of red, and drops of blood began to bleed from the surface of his papery skin.

"Light-kun?" L searched for Light's attention, who then looked up at L, wide-eyed.

Light flinched at the expressionless and yet piercing gaze L was granting him, and he could only sheepishly mutter, "You have a rash."

"Excuse me?"

"Dermatitis, you idiot. On your wrist."

_This means I have to help you, right? Shit._

"I am aware of this, Light-kun. May I ask why you decided, after learning this, to further damage said wrist?" L was wiping off the blood with the bedsheets, which only served to get it smeared further onto the bed and all across the palm of L's hand.

_Light, can't you see it? L, both handcuffs attached to his frail wrists, the long chain wrapped around and restraining his hands and feet, drenched in sweat, his frail torso bared and bloodied. A sharp blade brought carefully to the struggling detective's smooth neck..._

Light swallowed thickly before meeting the real detective's gaze. He stared at him innocently. "Well, uh," he paused. "Maybe my decision making skills aren't as good as I thought they were."

L frowned, glanced at Light with honest concern (although it was unclear if this concern was for the younger man or himself), and then went back to the documents.

L didn't give a shit about his own well being. That left Light the job, as a "concerned friend", to force him to take care of his wounds. And the younger man wasn't sure if he could handle being near the detective with the metallic scent of crimson liquid rapidly filling the air.

Light kept his voice as gentle as he could manage in order to continue his offense in the face of lost composure. "You have to do something about that, you know. So it doesn't get infected."

"I don't _have _to do anything." L responded.

Light's eyebrows knit in frustration, and he violently grabbed L's sleeve.

_No, Light! Control!_

L tensed, and Light felt a surge of power-hungry euphoria. A smirk fought to emerge on his lips, but he suppressed it by choosing instead a frown of concern for his idiotically masochistic friend.

"There is nothing to do about it, Light-kun. Please let go of me," L said through his stiff jaw, in as much of a condescending tone as he could manage in order to mask the desperation seeping through his words.

Light tried a "You're a toddler to me," voice. "Yes there is, L. If you don't take care of it, it will get infected." Why did L continue to say no?

But soon he figured that it wasn't just a "no". It was a challenge. A challenge that if Light took, he would only further incriminate himself.

"And the problem in that situation would be...?" L's other fist clenched, but it was behind him where Light couldn't see. Anxiety continued washing over L in waves. _Let go, let go, let go, let go..._

"You'll get sick, and I'll get blamed!"

L shut his eyes and took a deep breath. Light refused to remove his eyes from L unless the other man began to show any sign of moving. L finally, jaw clenched, muttered "Fine," and with his other hand, removed his sleeve from the other's grasp before sliding off of the bed.

Light was awestruck. That was it? L was just going to... for lack of a better word, submit?

Had Light just... won?

Light's eyes widened as the chain jingled, L having started walking towards the door on the other side of the room. The chain went taut and L tripped, his breath hitching, before looking back at his unmoving companion. His mess of raven hair shielded his eyes from the suspect. "Well?"

The younger man rubbed at his own wrist absentmindedly, trying and failing to empathize with the pain the stoic detective must be in.

"Uh- yeah, I'm coming..." Light stumbled off of the bed before catching up with L, speechless.

Must be one hell of a rash.

...

They rode the elevator silently, entered the kitchen silently, found the drug cabinet silently, and said not a word until Light began rummaging through it, looking for bandages and Hydrocortisone cream. L stood to the side, hands shoved in his jean pockets, watching Light intently.

It was hard to find the medicine in the dark, but Light didn't know where the light-switch was. Since he didn't care to ask, he made due with the light from the elevator buttons, the floodlights in the hallway, and the intermittent flashes from the thunderstorm outside. Eventually he found the medicine and the bandages. He stood up from the cabinet, L's eyes following him. "Take off the handcuff."

"No."

"I can't take care of your wrist until you take off the handcuff."

Light didn't know if this was his lack of sleep or his morbid curiosity speaking, but it definitely wasn't his sense. He knew full well that there were other ways to address the situation. A bandage between the loose cuff and the damaged skin would suffice, but he was deathly curious.

It was really that Light was slowly and steadily giving in to his lust for power. He wanted to see how far he could force L. His victory (had he really won?) upstairs had sparked his curiosity.

"There are two errors in that sentence, Light-kun. First, the pronoun: I assure you, I will be taking care of myself, and your assistance will not be necessary. Secondly, the word 'until' implies that I will be removing the handcuff, which I will not _until_ you are proven innocent or guilty."

And when an opportunity to break L's mask arose, Light pounced.

L had snatched the cream and the bandages from Light and set them on the counter next to him. He refrained from looking up when Light began to question him. "Ryuuzaki, do you even know how to treat a nickel rash?" Something about the way he said that made L angry; he was trying to point out L doesn't know everything. It was a question L might have brushed off and ignored had he not understood the second half.

His partner was implying that Yagami Light does know everything. It was so childish, and yet, so... unnerving.

"I do not need Light-kun's help," L stated instead.

If L had turned around just then, he might've caught the sparkle in Light's eyes.

"Yes, you do," Light said firmly, not as if he was trying to assure L, but more as if he was trying to_ convince _L. "If you leave the handcuff on it will steadily get worse, and not to mention infected. The rash was_ caused_ by the nickel in the metal, and then you fucked it up even more, so obviously treating it won't help unless you remove the irritant."

L remained expressionless. "I understand. I am just saying no."

"You understand… you're just being an idiot."

"Yagami-kun, that is completely uncalled for!" L said quickly, watching Light warily, waiting for the younger man to do something. Light seemed not to notice.

"Think of it this way," he began. "If you die of a bacterial infection before the Kira case ends, where will that leave your dignity? Honestly, if I were in your place I would rather just die of a heart attack, then at least it wouldn't be my own fault!" Light was grinning at the irony, hands up in what would appear to be exasperation, but was in fact an attempt at intimidation.

L could see the man before him cracking, giving in to whatever evil he had been suppressing, and the detective slowly backed away in honest fear. Normally he could handle Light, but with his wrist... "I am not nearly as selfish as Light-kun-"

Light glared menacingly at him. "Damn it, you are _exactly _as selfish as I am implying. You are as warped by our little game as I am." The images from before flashed across Light's mind.

_The detective shivering as the hard metal of the knife delicately pressed into the pale skin of his neck..._

And then suddenly Light's angry expression changed, his eyes growing unbelievably wide in surprise at what he had just done.

He had yelled at L.

He had yelled at L, the same fucking man whom wouldn't fucking let him go until he was _fucking considered innocent._ And Light had just gone and fucked things up worse.

"I'm so- oh God... Ryuuzaki I'm- oh _shit_," a hand on his forehead and the other on his hip, Light began pacing the dark kitchen as far as the chain would allow, trying to get a hold on his thoughts. L watched him blankly, owlish dark eyes tracing his path as he drove a rut into the tile.

"Fifty percent, Light-kun," L said in a quiet voice.

"Ryuuzaki, I'm so sorry. I- I'm very tired; I don't know what came over me. Just forget what I said, okay? Because- oh, I'm sorry," Light tried to put together something that would purge himself of his outcry earlier, but his own words came flooding back to him, and he admitted that if someone had yelled at him like that, nothing would let him forget it.

"Thank you for your apology, Light-kun. Forty-nine-point-eight percent," he said. L continued to stare in fascination, and Light could practically see the gears turning in the detective's head, jump-starting after the fear that had gripped both of them only seconds before. Light tried to ignore the weight of the L's gaze, choosing instead to take a deep breath and lean on the counter, his head in his hands. He had to get rid of the detective somehow. He had to figure out how to stomp out his annoyance, his anger, and his violence before he could become any more obvious than he just had been.

It… was too Kira-like to antagonize L so strongly.

As Light composed himself he watched the detective meticulously pick at his wrist with his fingertips. He looked so... focused. There was a stark contrast to Light's distracted flurry of contradictions, and Light found L's stoic nature strangely calming. And slowly all of the bad thoughts trickled out.

"Light-kun?"

Light looked him in the eye with a sudden laid-back acknowledgement. "Hmm?"

L, the moment their eyes met, looked back down to his wrist and muttered darkly, "I must assure Light-kun that I am playing no games. I am currently locked in a mind war with a mass-murderer called Kira, and there are lives at stake if I lose. Coincidentally, this means I have no time for playing_ games_. Whatever Light thinks he is fighting, he is fighting himself."

There was silence for a few moments. They listened as the air conditioning- something neither had noticed up to this point- quieted. Thunder crashed outside. Light sighed.

L was right. Now that he had a calm head, Light could see that… L was always right.

(Except when it came to Light being Kira, but that was beside the point.)

L gasped audibly after probing a rather painful patch of the damaged skin, and Light realized that there was only one thing to do in order to gain L's trust and avoid any further violence.

"Ryuuzaki?"

L paused. "Yes, Light-kun?"

"Give me your hand."

Hesitance. "I do not think this is the best idea-"

Light stared L down, his own palm outstretched.

L reluctantly removed his handcuffed wrist from the fingers of his other hand and gently lowered it in Light's general direction. Fingers met fingers.

Light felt his heart jump a bit, yet that confused him because he had touched the detective before, and physical contact was nothing new. It was perhaps because he was conscious of their touching? Whatever it was it was irrelevant, as L had willingly granted Light access to his greatest vulnerability: his own wound. Or… perhaps this is what Light has desired all along- not power over L, but L's trust.

Light shook his head, dismissing that thought entirely; the images were back back. Vividly, he could see his every option to move on from this point. He felt the blood, Ryuuzaki's blood, seeping onto his fingers. He felt him flinch as Light's thumb accidentally brushed the crimson skin. He heard L's rhythmic breathing hitch ever so slightly as Light began leading him to the sink. It's about power. It has always been about power.

When they reached the sink Light tore his hungry gaze from the papery canvas to glance back up at the detective, whose eyes were betraying him, revealing a question that he was desperate to, but wouldn't, ask. _What will you do, Light?_ Light frowned. He didn't know. Neither of them knew the answer.

Both of them were surprised when Light felt himself wrap his own digits around the silvery handcuff that began this mess, something that shone crimson now as well. Light looked up at the detective again, this time for permission. The lock on L's side of the handcuff was significantly flimsier than Light's, so that in a dangerous event the lock could easily be snapped open.

The slow and gentle nod L gave Light went completely against his better judgment, but the detective found himself mesmerized by his partner. L was so painfully curious; Light was like a Lion, and L was lunch. He knew the other boy could strike at any moment, but his predatory movements were so graceful and beautiful that L didn't have the restraint and common sense to step out of the way.

_Click. _The red handcuff fell to the floor.

Light loved the feeling of L's delicate fingers in his hand, thin and limp and soft as he guided the older man toward the counter. Light turned on the faucet and jumped at the noise of the water beating down on the stainless steel sink. He ran his free hand under the water, waiting for it to tone down from freezing to bearable in a few seconds before he brought L's wrist under the water.

L immediately tried to pull back, a shudder of pain racking his body as Light pointedly stared at the water falling, simply because he couldn't look at L. He pressed his thumb into the detective's palm in as calming of a gesture as he could before reaching for some soap.

When L was arguing with Light he never seemed as small as he did now: in the dark silence of the kitchen, wincing at the pain and hunched over more than usual as Light methodically rubbed the rash with soap and water. Light spared a glance at him out of the corner of his eye. L looked up, made eye contact, winced, and then looked down again.

After washing out the scratches, Light uncapped the Hydrocortisone cream and squeezed some of the white lotion onto his fingertip. He vaguely remembered Sayu using this stuff when she got her ears pierced. He began to trace the scratches, applying only around them, never on them. He was honestly surprised at how deep the scratches were, at how L had hurt himself so badly.

"Ryuuzaki?"

It was then that Light accidentally brushed against one of the gashes, and L whimpered before replying. "Yes, Light-kun?"

"How did you manage to scratch your arm so horribly without telling anyone? Did it really itch so badly that you had to annihilate your whole arm?"

L hid his eyes behind his raven locks before muttering darkly, "Pain is relative, Light-kun."

Light shifted uncomfortably, still cupping L's pale hand in his own, but suddenly something felt wrong. He felt a dash of concern cross his mind. "I-I'm not sure I understand," Light choked out.

L shook his head. "Never mind. Is Light-kun quite finished?" The detective was speaking in a soft, far-off voice, different from his usual uninterested tone.

"Oh-" Light glanced down at him before looking back to the hand, "No... um... I have to bandage it now."

While L muttered something unintelligible Light picked up the gauze, holding the end to L's wrist as gently as possible, slowly and carefully wrapping it around the wound before finally pinning it in place.

The minute L's wrist was finished it was hugged to the detective's chest like a lost toy, and Light felt strangely cheated. He had fully expected for the images to flood back into his head, to lose control the minute he couldn't feel L's warm presence near him… But he felt nothing. The air conditioning began again.

"L?"

"Hmm? Light-kun, must I remind you to only refer to me as-"

"Are you alright?" Light asked.

"Light-kun is very skilled with first aid…" L walked over to the refrigerator and opened it, the bright light flooding the room. Light shut his eyes as he recovered from the sudden shock of the brightness, but when he opened them, the images had returned.

In the light emanating from the door, L looked so much like a fucking angel that Light wanted to tear the wings from the bastard's back, if only to elicit a reaction.

Maybe this wasn't quite just the images.

"L?"

"Kira-kun is being very-"

"What are you eating?"

L looked up at him strangely. That was a very unusual question, coming from Light. Light never seemed to care at all about L's eating habits other than the usual scoff at the mountains of strawberries topped with cumulus clouds of whipped cream. Tonight, L hadn't yet decided between the apple pie and the birthday cake flavored ice cream, but Light's curiosity had caught him off guard.

"Kira-kun's question implies he is curious."

"I am curious, Ryuuzaki-kun."

"Is Light admitting to being Kira?"

"Is Ryuuzaki admitting to being my inferior?"

L frowned and pulled out the ice cream.

"Why not the apple pie? Something sweeter to counter my bitterness?"

L threw the carton of ice cream at Light, who effortlessly caught it. "What do you expect me to do with this?" Light had a smug grin on his face. Throwing things in frustration? _That_ was a reaction, was it not?

"I expect you to scoop it into a bowl," L explained without missing a beat.

Light stood up from leaning on the far counter, and, confused, responded, "Have you never scooped ice cream yourself?"

"Not when it can be avoided. Besides," he held up his wrist, "I am disabled."

Light rolled his eyes before grabbing the offered spoon and a bowl. "For the record, you're not disabled. You don't do all that much in the first place, and I don't think a bandaged wrist will do anything to your productivity." He handed L the filled bowl with a gag, and the older man accepted with wide, excited, it's-totally-not-three-in-the-morning eyes.

L's response was muffled by the ice cream being shoveled into his mouth. "On the contrary, I believe I might be severely handicapped in my field work."

"It's not like you have a broken arm. What's the big deal?"

"Oranges, Light-kun." He licked at the spoon.

"Excuse me?"

"I would not be able to defend myself against oranges."

"Oranges in a tube sock?"

"Precisely."

Light glanced at him in confusion as L decided to put his entire face into the bowl in order to remove any trace of ice cream. Supposedly, when you beat someone with a tube sock filled with oranges, it will not leave a visible bruise; therefore, it cannot be proven to a jury that the beating took place. But why would L suggest this so randomly?

Perhaps he was suggesting that Light, if he is Kira, might want to attack him in a way that couldn't be proven to the task force.

Would that even work? He glanced at the fridge, where there surely were some of the brightly colored fruits...

Light brushed off the thought. As much as he wanted to see the detective in pain, he had more self-control than to resort to such a cowardly and criminally-minded offense.

_Right?_

"I believe it is time for Light-kun to return to sleeping," L remarked suddenly. Light glanced at the clock as L said this… it was four in the morning.

"And sleep for an hour, tops? I don't think so." He hopped up onto the counter, his feet dangling, needing to rest somewhere but figuring the only place to sit down was up. L glanced at him suspiciously.

"Light-kun is very unique. Most teenage males would revere sleep."

Light rocked his legs back and forth. It was sort of calming: sitting on counters made him feel smaller, obsolete like the furniture, as if the world's three greatest detectives hadn't just commended him for being an unusual teenager. As if he didn't want to strangle the man. "Ryuuzaki, you're not much older than I am. Most people at your age revere sleep as well, and you don't seem to have a problem without it."

"I am exactly six years, three months, and twenty-eight days older than Light-kun, as well as an insomniac," L stated. Light rolled his eyes.

Light was now watching the detective undress the ice cream carton next to him with his eyes. He sighed, grabbed the bowl (and grimaced as he remembered it had been cleaned with the detective's saliva), and hopped off the counter to assuage the detective's sugary needs. "Sure, sure. Six years... but in what direction?"

A frown flitted across L's face, but the moment itself was gone when Light handed him his second bowl. "Would Light-kun like to make brownies?" He asked hopefully.

Light glanced at L curiously. Was the detective really asking him this? Was it a test? Light had a feeling that if he agreed, he would be making the brownies by himself.

"No, not really," he replied. L's eyes widened a bit more than usual, but he said nothing. "Shouldn't we be getting to work?" Light suggested. L looked down at his ice cream and thoughtfully twirled his spoon inside the lump of melting sugar.

"Yes," he agreed. "I suppose so." He spooned another mouthful or two into his mouth before placing the ceramic bowl in the sink. Light waited for him to leave the kitchen before exiting himself.

They were on their way back to the main headquarters when the thunderstorm outside dissipated. The hallway was completely black, and Light paused, stopping in the bath of light coming from the floodlight, and L, hearing him, slowly turned around, his entire being hidden within the shadows except for Light's reflection in his eyes.

_He is beautiful, you know. _

Light's eyes flickered over to the darkness. It was like one of his nightmares was realized. Here was the detective a few feet in front of him, bathed in darkness, and he had the uncontrollable urge to grab him and force him to the ground. It was so dark, and the Task Force would not arrive for another hour or so. There was a knife in the kitchen behind them...

"Is Light-kun alright?"

It was as if the lights came on again in Light's head. The blackout had ended, for now.

"Yeah... I'm fine. You?"

"My wrist does not itch."

"Okay. Good." Light paused. "What will we do about the handcuff?" He asked, gesturing to the chain dangling from his own wrist and curling on the floor.

A shrug was the response.

"Let's get to work," he said, and Light exited the light following L farther down the hallway. He couldn't help feeling cheated again, but at the same time he felt relieved. Whatever happened after that night... nothing would be the same. Something had changed; barriers were falling. Light could feel the evil half of him gaining control, and through L's trust, he could do anything. Options were opening. Too many destructive options.

It was all downhill from here.

**What did you think? Drop a review! I don't plan on continuing this, but if it is received well, I might. It was intended as a oneshot, really. Idk.**

**~F8tey**


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